When the news of Apple ’s patent program for the iPod surfaced last week , designer Noel Rubin was a little rattled . Apple ’s iPod was release in November of 2001 , its interface bearing a spectacular resemblance to his ‘ scrollJET ’ project , a Macromedia Shockwave ( and later Flash ) front end that reserve visual hierarchal browsing of filesystems — specifically media file systems . Although scrollJET had been publicly released in the summer of 2000 , Rubin then remain ambivalent about any course against Apple . His iPod died a week by and by .
Now Apple ’s patent is a admonisher to Rubin that he perhaps should have taken some action two twelvemonth ago , although many questions remain .
“ I ’m not indisputable I understand the scope of my site , ” sound out Rubin . “ From what I can tell , it looks like iPod imitate portion of my scrollJET , visually . ”
Rubin is try advice from those who have had experience with similar situations . He ’s afraid Apple may be attempt to patent an mind he developed .
“ The matter that become me is the fact that the iPod GUI uses the same basic interface structure , and also superposable animation [ as ] scrollJET , ” articulate Rubin . “ Who get laid ? Apple ’s development was likely happening for a year old to the launch . But the unvoiced fact is that scrollJET was posted on the entanglement in 2000 . I pass months on it . ”
If you ’d wish to offer Noel Rubin any advice , he ’s asked to be contacted via his internet site .
expect – Noel Rubin ’s scrollJET
scan – Apple ’s letters patent software
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